1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a floor cleaning apparatus and more particularly to a floor and carpet cleaning mechanism wherein a cleaning fluid is applied to the floor or carpet and removed therefrom in the path of movement of the mechanism.
In order to prolong the life of floor coverings it is essential that they be periodically cleaned of dirt, sand, or the like. Such cleaning is relatively easily accomplished where the floor surface is defined by material having a smooth upper surface, such as linoleum or hardwood, however, when the floor is covered by a rug or carpet, areas of heavy traffic tend to have dirt ground into the piles of the rug which cling to the fibers thereof and are not easily removed by ordinary dry vacuum cleaning action. One method of carpet cleaning, commonly called "dry shampooing" takes the form of relatively dry soap suds or chemically treated granulated material which is applied to the rug piles and brushed in and, after a selected period of time, is dry vacuumed off the rug. Repeated shampooing in this manner results in a build-up of shampoo residue and foreign matter, such that shampooing is no longer effective. Furthermore, in some types of carpet material the mechanical scrubber tends to generate static electricity in the carpet piles which attract opposite polarity of foreign matter particles thus rendering the foreign matter more difficult to remove from the piles of the carpet.
Another method comprises the application of a liquid, usually water mixed with soap or a detergent, which is usually applied to the rug piles by a rotating scrub brush and thereafter removing as much of the soap and water as is possible by vacuuming. This latter process results in substantially completely wetting the rug, requiring an extended period of drying time during which it is preferred that traffic be kept off the rug.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art patents generally disclose two types of surface cleaning devices. One type being self-contained units, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,040,362; 3,060,484; 3,332,101 and Re. 25,939, wherein a generally upright housing, equipped with brush-like scrubbing means at its depending end, is provided with a tank containing a cleaning fluid to be applied to the surface being cleaned which is removed after use by suction generating means contained by the housing and deposited in a container within the housing. The other type surface cleaning apparatus, such as is disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,079,285; 3,262,146 and 3,496,592, generally comprise a floor engaging cleaning head portion through which a cleaning agent is applied to the surface to be cleaned with the head connected by flexible tubing to a wheel supported vacuum generating structure containing a quantity of the cleaning fluid and a used fluid receiving tank.
The self-contained units have the disadvantage of containing a limited quantity of cleaning agent which must be frequently replaced and the used fluid container emptied.
The principal disadvantage of the other cleaning devices, featuring the wheel supported structure having a tank of the cleaning agent and used fluid receiving reservoir, is the necessity of moving this equippment with the operator from room to room as well as the additional expense involved in initial and maintenance cost.
The principal distinction between this invention and the above numbered patents resides in forming a cleaning device having some of the desirable features of the above two types of cleaning devices. This has resulted in a relatively lightweight unit which may be controlled by one operator wherein a source of water is connected by elongated tubing to the device from a conventional water supply line, such as a sink faucet, wherein the water is mixed with a detergent before being applied to the surface to be cleaned in a spraying action. Further, the used cleaning fluid is picked up from the surface of the rug immediately following its application thereto by a vacuum generating motor contained by the device thus minimizing the wetting action of a rug, or the like. A pump within the device also operates simultaneously with the vacuum generating motor to discharge the used cleaning fluid through an elongated flexible tube to a point of discharge, such as the drain of the sink supplying the water. Further, the mass of the device, which may be easily controlled by the operator, is utilized to firmly contact the suction nozzle intake of the device with the floor surface being cleaned in a manner similar to a squeegee cleaning action.